Many social media platforms contain some sort of advertising outlet for businesses (Except for Ello.. Yes, we get it, you’re ad free… Now send us an invite!) But it’s hard to know not only what to do, but if you’re doing it right. If you’re spending money on any advertising, and want to get your money’s worth, make sure you have your intentions (and your expectations) in check before dropping that first dollar. Outside of the traditional advice, like including a call-to-action or making sure your spelling and grammar are correct, check out Hub Digital’s top tips for getting the most out of your social media advertising.

1. Facebook - The king of social media is now looking to capitalize on that title. With the recent changes Facebook has brought down, business pages are no longer getting the reach they once had. Before you take the leap into that “promoted post” make sure you know your intentions backwards and forwards. With it’s super targeting potential and ability to change formats based on an established goal, Facebook ads are all about pinpointing the perfect audience. Also, take some time to craft the perfect headline. First impressions only happen once, and if your headline doesn’t grab someone scrolling through their newsfeed at rapid speed, you’ve lost them forever.

2. Twitter - With Twitter a picture is quite literally worth a thousand words. With it’s 140 character limit, it may be hard to get certain messages across. Pictures, however, show up right up in the newsfeed and are easy to retweet, share and favorite among followers. Creating a cool graphic can help grab attention and stand out among a feed of text updates.

3. Google+ - While I have a certain co-worker who is still adamant Google+ will take off, don’t let the lack of users discourage you from utilizing it to leverage your Google AdWords (or other advertising) campaigns. Google favors it’s own properties, and pushing users to their site will do nothing but help your efforts in getting that coveted first page organic ranking.

4. Pinterest - A newcomer to the social media game, Pinterest has completely taken off. With over 70 million users sending over 2 million pins to other users daily, it’s no wonder advertisers are clamoring for ways to advertise to the masses. Although advertising hasn’t been released yet, for those businesses with a super visual product or service, this may be a game changer. Check back here for updates on how to best use promoted pins once details are released.

5. Instagram - Ahh, those illusive 16-24 year olds. With young teens and adults making up the bulk of the Instagram demographic, this is perfect outlet for businesses with a younger, decidedly more filtered, clientele (we’re talking to you Ugg and Starbucks). Another outlet that has yet to release details on their advertising, you know we’ll be back with information on how you can get in front of this up and coming demographic.